


One Last Rose

by Theyisms



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Awkward Crush, Engagement, Frenemies, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Technically Enemies to Lovers I think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-13 16:43:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21497269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theyisms/pseuds/Theyisms
Summary: It was absolutely worth sneaking out in the middle of the night for.
Relationships: Roxas/Vanitas (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	One Last Rose

If one were to ask the prince why he was scaling down the side of the castle in the dead of night while also freezing his arse off in the dead of night, he would tell them it was because of curiosity. He could never turn down a good mystery, and that was possibly one of his biggest flaws.

He’d received a note earlier in the day requesting a meeting with him. Well, he assumed it was for him. It was neither addressed to nor signed by anyone. It was, however, left on his bedside table when he started his day. The letter instructed him to meet someone in the garden just after midnight. Whoever it was must have already known he knew how to sneak in and out without being discovered, so it must have been someone relatively close to him. It brought him a bit of comfort.

That didn’t explain who it was, why the garden, and why after midnight. The prince needed to find out.

When he was close enough to the ground, he let go of the rope hanging from his window and let himself fall. He nearly stumbled and fell into a nearby bush, but he stuck the landing and was quiet about it. Huffing softly, he pulled his robe tighter around himself and hurried toward the garden. Ten minutes later, he arrived to find it empty.

“Was this some kind of prank?” he whispered to himself as he took a few cautious steps forward. He had been so excited to find out what this person had to say that he didn’t think to expect a prank. Or worse.

The prince stopped dead in his tracks as he realized what he’d just done. That could have been more than just a stupid prank. Someone could have easily set him up or lured him out here to kidnap him for ransom. Christ, why was he so dense? If he had simply asked a knight to accompany him…

The wind picked up around him. He heard footsteps nearby, but couldn’t tell which direction they were coming from. He reached inside his robe for his dagger—the only smart decision he’d made that night—and whipped around to face what could have been his attacker.

Nothing. There was no one there. He’d gone and made himself paranoid.

He was about to call it a night and go back to his room before something awful  _ did  _ happen when he felt a hand drop on his shoulder. Panic surged through him, and without a second thought, he pulled his dagger and turned to press the tip into his attacker’s throat.

“Peace, My Prince. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

The sly smile on the man’s face said otherwise. Even with the freshly sharpened weapon pressed against his skin hard enough to draw blood, he didn’t look the least bit scared. The prince snarled as he contemplated adding pressure. “I ought to slice your throat right open.”

“Then who would you trust with your secrets?” he grinned.

The prince snatched his dagger away, making sure to leave the tiniest little scrape in his skin. It would blend in well amongst all of the other scratches and scars on his battleworn body. This idiot, this complete and utter buffoon, is his first night: Vanitas. He’s the closest thing to a friend he’d ever known.

“Why did you call me here at such an ungodly hour of the night? I would have preferred dawn to this.”

Vanitas, with that same look of amusement on his face and his arms tucked behind his back, tilted his head to the side and shrugged. “I’ll remember that for next time.”

The prince scoffed. Like hell there’d be a next time.

The dark haired knight turned to the side and jerked his head toward the deeper part of the garden. “Take a walk with me, Roxas.”

Roxas eyed him warily. He knew in his heart that Vanias would never lie to him, or hurt him, but he would absolutely play a dumb prank on him. As a knight, he trusted him with his life. As a friend?  _ Ha! _

He stored his dagger back in its sheath and folded his arms over his chest. He should have come with better protection from the winter night. “No funny business and  _ no  _ schemes. I mean it.”

“I swear,” Vanitas smiled. It could have been a truck of the moonlight, but it looked a lot less teasing for a split second. “Royals first.”

Roxas glared at him as he walked past him. With Vanitas there, the fear of danger subsided and his curiosity grew by the second. What was so important that Vanitas had to call him out here for it? They’ve shared many secrets in the comfort of his sleeping quarters. This all felt dramatic and unnecessary.

He walked into the heart of the garden with Vanitas following behind him at a comfortable distance. It didn’t feel any different than when he’d trail behind them during their journeys into the town. If Roxas turned and stretched his arm out, his palm would connect with his chest. If there was a threat up ahead, Vanitas could (and would) quickly step in front of him and draw whatever weapon was concealed beneath his common clothes.

“We stop here,” Vanitas announced.

Roxas stopped and turned to face him. It was then that he realized Vanitas wasn’t wearing his common clothes at all. He was dressed in semi-formal attire: his black tunic with the gold trim, his best slacks, and a pair of loafers. Roxas felt severely underdressed for the occasion, whatever it was supposed to be.

Vanitas exhaled sharply. “I know you are confused, but I have a very good explanation for this.”

“I’m waiting…” Roxas told him, frown deepening.

His knight smirked. “Today was the big day. You’ve met all of the suitresses and accepted all of your roses, yes?”

Roxas felt his brow furrow. That was exhausting and it was the last thing he wanted to think about at a time like that. “That’s correct.”

Vanitas’ smile dimmed as he pulled at the edge of his tunic with one arm and dipped down into a lazy curtsy. His free hand revealed a pretty red rose, and he presented it to Roxas the same way all of the princesses had. Roxas’s jaw dropped as he watched it happen, but he still found it hard to believe. They met eyes, and the smile finally faded. It was all the confirmation that Roxas needed to know that this was not a joke.

“Humor me,” he pleaded softly.

Roxas swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded silently. He didn’t quite understand why this was happening, but he wasn’t upset about it in the slightest. He actually found it endearing.

“There are...many things that I could say. So many scripts that I’ve rehearsed again and again, but I do not have the charm or the grace to make them sound the way you would want to hear them. I am not a man of poems. Words do not come easily to me. So I gift this rose to you, not as your suitor, but as someone who has...loved you for years and has never known how to say it.”

Roxas stared at him in awe. It wasn’t the grandest of gestures, but it warmed his heart. They both know that this couldn’t be, that there has never been and never will be such a thing as King and King of Radiant Garden. It makes him sad to think that, if he were truly given a choice, he may have entertained the idea of it. All of his foolishness aside, he’d never felt more safe, comfortable, and confident with anyone else.

Smiling sadly, Roxas reached his hand out and gently wrapped his fingers around the stem. “I accept your rose...and I will keep it close to my heart.”

Vanitas rose from his curtsy with hope in his eyes. “I thought sure you would turn me away.”

Roxas shook his head and chuckled. “You essentially just proposed to me. It would not be proper for me to turn you away without reason.”

Vanitas raised an eyebrow. “You had plenty of reason to—”

He stopped talking when Roxas stepped forward and grabbed his hand. “I’m  _ saying  _ that I did not want to, you dunce. You are special to me. Whether we are prince and knight or something more, you always will be.”

Vanitas stared at him, eyes softening as a smile spread across his face. He dipped his head down and chuckled. “You know technically, since you have accepted my rose, I am your fiancé.”

“Oh lovely. That makes twenty-two now,” Roxas grumbled.

Vanitas laughed again and gently squeezed his hand. “I jest. I only wanted to make my feelings known before you marry.”

Roxas brought the rose up to his nose to sniff. Judging by the scent, it was freshly picked. Their joined hands swing idly by their sides. Roxas could only smile up at him. He felt like a child with a crush. And his crush liked him back. Now it made sense: their closeness, the way they behaved around one another, the fact that even though he thought Vanitas was the most annoying, infuriating person to ever exist, he had never requested to replace him as his first knight.

The smile stayed on his lips as he pushed up on his toes and pressed a kiss to Vanitas’ cheek. “Next time, pick a warmer place and a more appropriate time to confess your feelings,” Roxas whispered.

“I don’t think so. This happened exactly the way I saw it in my dreams,” Vanitas whispered back.

Roxas snorted. “Tell me you jest.”

“Not this time, My Prince.” Vanitas pulled away. “But I will escort you back to your room, if you’ll allow it.”

“Please…”

The two men made their way back to the rope hanging outside of Roxas’ window. Although he was eager to get back inside, he wasn’t ready to let go of his fiancé’s hand just yet.


End file.
